Of course he is. I’m not overdoing this, but if you recall last time he was here under the LaRouche nameplate he babbled on endlessly about Bolt. It was actually a little disturbing. Now he seems obssessed by da Murdoch and Gina.

I really do hope he doesn’t have access to firearms because he really sounds mentally disturbed and totally obssessed.

If you recall last time the lunatic was here, he was reciting freaking Sunday morning TV ratings first thing Monday mornings and doing some sort of disturbed analysis on Bolt’s ratings. It went on for months.

He seems like a perfect candidate for some really mentally deranged act. If he does act on his impulse I’m sure his neighbors will all describe him as a quiet person who kept to himself.

AAP 18:27
The Nationals reaction
Nationals leader Warren Truss says both Mr Rudd and his predecessor Julia Gillard had ignored the regions, where few had access to broadband under the federal government’s roll-out. He says the Nationals will look to the coalition to deliver faster and cheaper broadband and other new infrastructure to improve the quality of life in the regions and ability of exporters to get their product to market.
People want a change, they want an opportunity to vote and I’m sure they’ll welcome that the campaign end is at last in sight.

“You ever had a botox shot, Candy? I have. Three times in fact, but down in my gullet. Last time the fucker almost poisoned me. I was doubling up with pain.”

Sounds painful in that area, JC. I’ve never had it,
but Tony Abbott is the outdoors man, works outside in his volunteer work. His skin just needs that little bit of attention. He’s like you say more softer and respectful in his demeanour, a little softening of the complexion won’t hurt too.

AAP 18:34
First poll shows Rudd is the underdog
Mr Rudd is going into the federal election less popular than he was just over two weeks ago. The ReachTEL poll was conducted on Sunday for Seven Network and surveyed almost 3000 people across Australia. It found 49.1 per cent thought Mr Rudd would make the better prime minister against an improved 50.9 per cent rating for Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. Mr Rudd’s approval was down 3.3 percentage points from July 18, when he polled at 52.4 per cent. Mr Abbott’s was up 3.3 percentage points.

Every time the alp says ’3 word slogan’, do they have the insight to realise that that is a three word slogan?

Can’t wait to see the transcript on that one. When I was watching the interview I’m pretty damn sure Rimmer actually said two three word slogans straight afterwards. Something like: Three word slogans have never been a substitute for good policy – “never have been” – never will be”.

‘At last the choice is yours, it’s not the choice of the caucus, it’s not the choice of the faceless men, it’s your choice,’ Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Sunday.

The Division of Melbourne is located in the inner city suburbs of Melbourne. It covers an area of approximately 46 sq km from the Yarra River in the east to the Maribyrnong River in the west and from Ascot Vale/Princes Hill in the north to the Yarra River in the south. The division includes the central business district of the City of Melbourne and the suburbs of Abbotsford, Ascot Vale, Carlton, Carlton North, Collingwood, East Melbourne, Fitzroy, Flemington, Kensington, North Melbourne, Parkville, Richmond and West Melbourne. Fitzroy North is shared with the Division of Wills and Docklands is shared with the Division of Melbourne Ports.

How many other big hitters will be running ad campaigns over the next 5 weeks?
Unions are a given, but the aggrieved car leasing industry must have been keeping their powder
dry for the election proper. Mining industry I hope. Anyone else?

Labor’s “donate” button gives them your email, address and phone number. I think the next step is to use your email to look you up on Facebook, send a friend request, and then get access to your friends list.

Galaxy Poll out this evening in the seat of Melbourne has Greens 66 Labor 34 on a 2pp basis. God, Melbourne is fucked up socialist hole.

What do you expect when the stupid fucking Liberals refuse to run a candidate? You can’t get rid of the Greenfilth (and minimise the chances of a hung parliament) unless you think strategically, run a candidate and do a preferences deal with the Liars Party. Fucking brain-dead clowns.

“Stable big government conservatism is going to be quite boring after this stuttering clusterfuck of a miserable failure.”

That first part is the inane thinking which brought us to where we are right now … “Oh he was sooo totally fully awesome on Rove. I’ll vote for him! I fully must sooo tweet that totally now! That Ron Howard is old and fully awful.”

If the kiddies need un-boring then there is Big Brother and X factor to stimulate and excite their vacuous needs. Government is, or should be, too busy protecting their useless lives to be entertaining at the same time.

I see it here in some of the comments about Tony Abbott performing poorly this evening – it matters little that he is a genuine and sincere and saying something of substance. The more important measure is how he compares to a weak chinned spiv, much like Obamaccles II, who convincingly soothes the vast acres of mind dead voters with contrived charisma.

I don’t think Abbott performed poorly this evening
I don’t want a slick talker and I don’t want a botoxed Tony either
I do want someone I can trust to not say one thing before the election and do another after
I do want someone who can deliver well thought through policy
I do want someone I can trust to manage the budget
I do want someone with a good track record

Apologies, Andrew. I skipped through the candidates at the Libs’ website and missed him. If he can jag 20% of the vote and do a swap with the Liars, they can get rid of the Greenfilth. Have the Liars and Libs announced preferences?

I don’t think Abbott performed poorly this evening
I don’t want a slick talker and I don’t want a botoxed Tony either
I do want someone I can trust to not say one thing before the election and do another after
I do want someone who can deliver well thought through policy
I do want someone I can trust to manage the budget
I do want someone with a good track record

I agree with all of those claims except the first one. I will be voting Liberal, but to get other peopl voting Liberal, he needs to be slick and to the point.

Imagine the waterworks in election eve if he does. I want to see the fucker cry again as it was funny last time.

———-
The electoral commission has got the ball rolling on getting ready for the election and JC is also preparing for the long night at the JC leftie election suicide watch hotline. We’ll be working devilishly hard trying to talk them into it.

Apologies, Andrew. I skipped through the candidates at the Libs’ website and missed him. If he can jag 20% of the vote and do a swap with the Liars, they can get rid of the Greenfilth. Have the Liars and Libs announced preferences?

I wish they could, but Bandt has it in the bag. That Glalxy poll has the Greens primary vote up 12% to 48%. He will win on those numbers easily, even if the Liberals preference Labor. We do have a preference deal in Melbourne where we will preference Labor in exchange for Labor preferencing the Liberals in Mallee, where we will be looking to take a seat off the Nationals.

where we will preference Labor in exchange for Labor preferencing the Liberals in Mallee, where we will be looking to take a seat off the Nationals.

Mate, have you blokes not learnt the New England lesson? That is exactly why Windsor ended up in Parliament for so long and why Australia were put in the predicament we were. Splitting the vote. FFS – keep your hands off Mallee.

Kevni lurves a good media stunt, so aside from the shopping centre photo ops which are becoming a bit ho hum, what else have the ALP media unit got planned. ? A guest spot on Big Brother? Music fests are out..none in August. Brisbane Ekka walk about ” People’s Day Aug 14th ” could be a goer methinks.
What other media ” pop out of the cake” tricks could he do?

How reliable is that poll in Melbourne? I heard that it came from Adam beta Ant’s tent, so I’m not buying into it unless it was a reliable poll.

If it was commissioned by the Greenfilth, it was push-polled to within an inch of its life to tell the client what it wanted to hear. There is no lie too big for a minor party past its use-by date with national polls showing its vote is collapsing by between 30% and 40%. The 48% primary vote figure is bullshit, IMO.

Mate, have you blokes not learnt the New England lesson? That is exactly why Windsor ended up in Parliament for so long and why Australia were put in the predicament we were. Splitting the vote. FFS – keep your hands off Mallee.

I agree, the Coalition in opposition shouldn’t be wasting funds trying to win seats already held by either one of them. The NSW branch of the Liberal Party wasted money contesting the seat of Riverina which the Nationals retained.

Leave Mallee to the Nats and focus on picking up outer suburban seats off Labor. In the long-term it would be better to win Deakin or McEwen in Victoria rather than have a pissing contest over Mallee.

How reliable is that poll in Melbourne? I heard that it came from Adam beta Ant’s tent, so I’m not buying into it unless it was a reliable poll. The human trash lie.

It was done by Galaxy, so it seems reliable. I think that the Greens will win, but I’d say it exaggerates the Greens primary vote.

Mate, have you blokes not learnt the New England lesson? That is exactly why Windsor ended up in Parliament for so long and why Australia were put in the predicament we were. Splitting the vote. FFS – keep your hands off Mallee.

That won’t happen in Mallee, the electorate is strongly in the Coalition’s hold and I think that it is a different sort of demographic to New England. Under a Coalition agreement, we can not challenge the winning party of a seat after a new sitting member has won that seat.

If these bloody Green voters tightly clustered in the seat of Melbourne are so committed to maintaining the sanctity of the pristine environment, why do they live in cheek by jowl in the least pristine environment for thousands of kilometres? A bloody big city? Makes no sense to me, if they have the courage of their convictions then surely they should be living off the grid in the wilderness, using an entrenching tool to bury their crap and raising goats?

Aaron, I must admit I was very disappointed by Andrews comment (no offence Andrew, but you need to understand). Liberals and Nationals are supposed to be “brothers” against Labor. Now you are talking about “taking seats off” the Nationals.

I always thought we were of the same “ilk” – you understand the city – the Nat’s understand the country. In New England and elsewhere the Liberals have tried to “take over” – it doesn’t work – I admire your ambition but you guys just don’t fucking get it – they are different people – same idea – different take on it. Putting up Liberals against Nat’s only helps Labor (Windsor is a prime example).

Yep. Perhaps the electorate going to Bandt was no surprise, but if he does make it back in it’ll be interesting to see how much fun it is when he’s a voice of impotent fury rather than the point of the sword. My guess is he’ll retire from politics in 2016, or transfer to the Senate at the first available opportunity. Unless we get another hung parliament (in which case Abbott has already announced his intent not to form government), this is one li’l rooster who’s headed for feather duster land, whether he keeps his seat or not.

Nothing could interest me more than to know the reason for the early call. I was convinced Rudd would hold out as long as possible. If it was his call, maybe he really was that scared of facing Abbott in Parliament after all. Or the polls. The man is fixated on polls; he may have wanted to get the announcement in before the Reachtel poll came out.

Given that the G20 would put him in Moscow for the two days prior to the election, maybe it’s his way of escaping reality if things go as shittily as the betting suggests. Or maybe he thinks he can win a poll bounce by strutting around on the world stage? The autobiographies are going to be fun, even the hagiographic ones that suck his ego’s metaphorical cock for him. There’s a kernel of truth in every self-serving bullshit story, and the fun will be in sorting out what those are.

Aaron, I must admit I was very disappointed by Andrews comment (no offence Andrew, but you need to understand). Liberals and Nationals are supposed to be “brothers” against Labor. Now you are talking about “taking seats off” the Nationals.

I always thought we were of the same “ilk” – you understand the city – the Nat’s understand the country.

Yeah I was disappointed as well when I heard the Liberals were contesting Mallee, to me it doesn’t make any sense to do it in Opposition. I understand the Coalition agreement permits both parties to contest seats where there is no incumbent but in this environment they should be devoting resources to defeating Labor. The Nationals have enough problems with Labor taking seats off them in northern NSW as the Green retirees migrate north without having to worry about the Libs cutting their heartland from underneath them.

However, there are some changing demographics in the region which could make a Liberal victory more likely than a National for example in the seat of Farrar which the Libs picked up with Sussan Ley after the retirement of Tim Fischer. But Mallee is a safe and primarily agricultural seat and the Libs are spending money here when they could be working hard to ensure seats like Corangamite and La Trobe return to the Liberal fold.

Peturbed – it has to be the internal polling and da union bovver-boys.

A couple of weeks ago a rellie who’s a medium-sized ALP wheel said their internal polling was for a lose, but not as bad as with The Lying Slapper.

That was before the slide.

The longer he goes on the election date, the less furniture Rimmer saves. if he saves no furniture, then da union bovver boys burned political capital for nothing. They might as well have stayed with The Lying Slapper.

And Rimmer’s doomed no matter what. If he were to scrape a win or a hung parliament, da union bovver boys will rape his lizard and install Hippohead Shortarse who will maximise their return for however long they can stretch the party out. If he loses, they rape his lizard and he cops ALL the blame for his own stupidities AND for the Slapper’s as well.

No matter what, da union bovver boys walk away smelling like roses and Rimmer cops a cubic mile of their excrement in his face.

For them, and only for them, it’s a win as they see it. For the nation and for everyone else, it’s a lose – but they simply do not care about that.

I think I posted a reply earlier Val (I may have put it on the wrong thread)? In short, Barnaby will win by an absolute landslide. Getting rid of Windsor was much like getting rid of Gillard (except there is no Kevin to “fill the hole”). Windsor knew it too – he hadn’t a hope in hell.

Barnaby will have the biggest margin in Australia come 7/9. People were decieved by Windsor and were outraged when he “signed up” with Gillard and the Greens. It was and has been pulpable. Sure, lots of “shiny new stuff” under Windsor, but we actually care about that Australians that are missing out because of “the deal” he did.

Tom, this is one occasion I don’t agree with the betting markets. Bandt only has to get a 4-5% swing towards him in Melbourne on the primary vote and he will win the seat, even with liberal preferences against him. With the high profile he has, I think that will happen easily.

However, Cath Bowtell (ALP candidate in Melbourne) has been getting the highly split, factional Labor students to campaign very hard at the University of Melbourne for her. She is an IR lawyer as Bandt and almost as left-wing as he is.

If these bloody Green voters tightly clustered in the seat of Melbourne are so committed to maintaining the sanctity of the pristine environment, why do they live in cheek by jowl in the least pristine environment for thousands of kilometres?

I used to live in Burnley and sometimes I’d take a walk into town of an evening down Swan St or Bridge Road. It was Hipster City. If it’s still that way, it’d be a magnet for the little twerps – a swirling obscene vortex that draws them in and occasionally spits a new one out whenever they collide and breed. (Also, ‘thousands of km’ seems a bit of an exaggeration.)

if they have the courage of their convictions then surely they should be living off the grid in the wilderness, using an entrenching tool to bury their crap and raising goats?

I love a good IF… THEN statement. Happy memories of Commodore BASIC for the C64. Those were the days! (Yes, Labor was in power back then, but it was a very different Labor and it was bearable.) My hat goes off to the self-sufficient ones, but guess what? I have a sneaking suspicion that some of them vote conservative.

If these bloody Green voters tightly clustered in the seat of Melbourne are so committed to maintaining the sanctity of the pristine environment, why do they live in cheek by jowl in the least pristine environment for thousands of kilometres?

Wrong way around. Because these people live ‘cheek by jowl in the least pristine environment for thousands of kilometres’, they become Green voters, seeking the warm fuzzies that come with retaining the idea of a pristine place somewhere, with the benefit that a few of the uncultured ‘regionals’ lose their livelihoods.

So the day war is declared I find out that Woobinda Napthine gives a truckload of ammo to the enemy by signing up for Gonski and we’re shooting at each other in the Mallee. Great. Just joined the Nats as well.

Tom, this is one occasion I don’t agree with the betting markets. Bandt only has to get a 4-5% swing towards him in Melbourne on the primary vote and he will win the seat, even with liberal preferences against him. With the high profile he has, I think that will happen easily.

I don’t think you understand how on-the-nose the Greenfilth brand is, Andrew, even in a Greenfilth sewer like Melbourne. The idea of Bandt getting a swing towards him when the national Greenfilth vote is collapsing by 30-34% is fanciful, IMO; best he can hope for is to hold the line. Without Lib-Lab preferences, which got him elected in 2010, he’s fucked.

May I suggest that all Catallaxy regulars get out and help at this election. Mrs Rococ amd have volunteerd to hand out HTVs for the Libs at Parramatta.

We have openly declared that anyone in our employ who votes ALP will be fired. I’m not sure what FWA would make of that, but they can go fuck themselves. Leftists and stupid people (a tautology) must be physically, financially and mentally punished until they recant.

As a lot of us run small businesses locally and are conscious of pissing off half the client base I suggest that anyone who wants to help (and that should be everyone) offer to assist in a nearby electorate or town. Play swappsies with your neighbors. The enemy have no such problems as people like us pay their wages directly or indirectly.

And every piece of junk mail you get MUST be scanned and emailed to the local candidate AND HQ. and don’t tell them to piss off when they knock at the door. Take all materials and listen to their talking points and report back immediately. Every house a listening post.

Well I had fun with that abc vote compass thing. I was a gen y masters degree holding worker in the construction industry who makes 70k a year and lives in Eden Monaro. I rate Milne at 0/1o and somehow Rudd scored 0.5. On their electoral compass I am to the right of the LNP and I trust Abbott a lot more than Rudd. Oh, I am also a traditional ALP voter.

I’m in La Macklin’s electorate. Never been anything but blue ribbon Labor. I saw the first neighbourhood garden picture of her smiling mug this morning…so tempted to get the biggest black marker I can find and sneak down there in the middle of the night to write “Massive Money Waster and Gutless Wonder” across it.

I’ve thought about this as we own a second property on the Sunshine Coast in a Liberal electorate. I’ve wanted to test it out to see whether there is some form of cross checking that would pick up voter fraud but don’t fancy paying a massive fine if I’m caught out.

Perturbed – Greens don’t like to live too far out – you just cannot get a decent Soy latte in our local coffeeshop, and the nearest wine bar is two hundred miles away. Shearers in the local pub have been known to make uncouth suggestions to young ladies demonstrating their Green credentials….

Whatever you do don’t remove OR deface ALP signs in yards. That just bad form. Just wait till Election Day and chuck a baited snag over the fence to shut their dogs up. Don’t get the snags mixed up cause to fatten a commie bitser and bone one of your own out would be a big bugga up, but I’m sure it’s happened before.

And The Sicilian Prince has signed both of us up to the local Liberal Party. I was hoping to go the grave without ever having aligned myself to a political party but this is what the last six years has brought me to.

We’ll be on the HTV roster on the day as well. No after party planned as yet…would not mind taking up Rabz’s offer in ZP. Love a good Moet.

Just did that abc survey. Can someone tell the person who designed the survey that age 18 is the voting age in OZ. Starting with a query as to whether you are elible to vote then having a question
about year of birth that starts at scroll down 2013 is unprofessional. 1995 as start point.
It’s just sooo ABC

I’ve thought about this as we own a second property on the Sunshine Coast in a Liberal electorate. I’ve wanted to test it out to see whether there is some form of cross checking that would pick up voter fraud but don’t fancy paying a massive fine if I’m caught out.

No point. ALP has no chance on the sunshine coast. Don’t break the law for no reason.

Busy with family and o/s departure prep all day. Rats, will miss most of the campaign. Will have to keep close to the Cat wherever time permits. 10 year-old nephew living in public housing rang tonight after 5 o’clock news and told me about the election date – he gets multi-Green propaganda at school but resists it. That kid will go far. It’s good to be able to catch up with the vibe via this thread now.

What’s the matter with breaking in through their bedroom window and leaving the cats severed head on the pillow? I know, it’s a bit “God Father-ish”. However, it does send a pertinent message? These people need to learn.

I’ve thought about this as we own a second property on the Sunshine Coast in a Liberal electorate. I’ve wanted to test it out to see whether there is some form of cross checking that would pick up voter fraud but don’t fancy paying a massive fine if I’m caught out.

Interesting dilemma.
We’ve got a place in town in an ALP electorate on a margin of about 5-6% and another place in the bush also in an ALP electorate with a margin of 10%.
Could justify residency in either but logged into AEC on Saturday and changed to the city electorate (spend more than 50% of time there and better chance of ditching a Liar’s Pardy candidate).

What does Lady Jugulum think about the election, Sven? She happy about the date?

She is glad it’s finally called so i don’t have to rant so much when i am home. (She’s Japanese she can’t vote in Oz).

We talked about it over dinnner tonight (which was lush). Oddly enough i worry about Japan with never ending stimulus packages that never work and she worries about our restrictive labour market, that kills private investment, we both worry about our childrens future, our daughter lives in Oz and the boys live in Japan.

Well I ended up with Genghis Khan coordinates in the lower right quadrant of the ABC survey. And that from a Labor voter. Will probably be removed after data cleansing and recalibration (tm Climate Science) as an outlier.

Damn, just when I’m a wanna be married willie oofta who hates illegals and demands free-stuff-dental trying to vote for Comrade Swan in Lilley! Pickles commands the room “Stop!”

So trying to pass myself off as a transgender dentist with daddy issues who would like to keep boaties in my private dungeon whilst seeking gubbermint funding for lingerie made of barbed wire ain’t gonna fly? Even if i say i’ll vote greens?

Gee just realised in my happiness at the announcement of an election I have consumed half a baguette (dunked in olive oil and sprinkled with salt and a little dukkar) very multi-culti I knowes – if I don’t curb my happiness I’ll end up with Ruddchinarse.

“Well I ended up with Genghis Khan coordinates in the lower right quadrant of the ABC survey …”

It’s difficult ticking the “Defence spending: minimal” box and “Gummint regulation: nowhere near enough” option when one is half expecting an Aunty Jack gloved fist to thunder out from the bookcase here in the office!

I’d be no bloody good trying to cheat the lie detector after belting the living suitcase out of a Labor politician then.

Just heard that on election day Mrs Rococo and I have to travel from sunny Wentworth to a place called Telopea. I was warned by the party to leave the Audi at home.

Telopea is a lovely little neck of the woods, my son lives in Telopea the people are lovely, some of their gardens are really something – I door-knocked there in 2004 hoping to help a certain Phil Landerer. Parramatta though is a tough gig because there are businesses going to the wall everywhere and people are really hurting.

spelling can be dukka or dukkar — it is a mixture of Cahew, nuts, sesame seeds, herbs and spices- Moroccan I think — yummy and the one I have is made by a company called The Olive Branch – Dukka Zaatar (gluten free – which I take to be calorie-free)

I am an 18 yr old greens voter who has no faith in Milne, wants to send illegals back, wants much more money spent on defence, none on climate change, loves Julia, wants old people killed and wants all farmland owned by QEII, used for live export and staffed by 457s. Confused me self I thnk.

pretty much but with an Italian twist. I do have to watch it — I’d lost 5 kgs of depression since March (in a hole for about 3 years — wonder why? – never mind) so I don’t want it back. Bread’s no good either – heartburn to burn later but it’s worth it every now and again, and tonight was one of those times.

It was a 1950s-60s Housing Commission estate which was later swept up in the move by families to the Epping-Eastwood-Denistone area “empty nester” homes in the 1980s and onwards. A lot of the homes were sold to tenants, ownership turned over and now it’s a perfectly located largely middle class dormitory suburb with excellent access to all facilities.

The NW end sits around Oatlands Golf Course where locals such as the mighty KD Walters enjoy the greenest of views and excellent golf. I recall when it was built – all red tile rooves and roads but after 50 odd years it looks like a lush oasis.

The NW end sits around Oatlands Golf Course where locals such as the mighty KD Walters enjoy the greenest of views and excellent golf. I recall when it was built – all red tile rooves and roads but after 50 odd years it looks like a lush oasis.

Yes a lovely place with some very beautiful homes, historic Oatlands House built in the early 1800s is now used as a function place.

I do not recall a front page as unequivocal as that in the 18 Federal elections to which I have paid attention, including 1975. I hope Murdoch is fair dinkum this time – in 2007 the dope went all damp squib at the death and backed Comrade Dear Leader.

Looks like we were all wrong re our tips about the date. I suspect the internal focus groups collapsed after the economic statement and Rudd was told to go to the polls ASAP before it gets much worse and while he is still in striking distance.

For mine, I think the numbers will drift south for Rudd, and once he gets down to about 46-47% the ALP and media knives will come out for Rudd. He could still lose as bad as Gillard was going to lose.

I knew we had hit peak KRudd once that economic statement was made on Friday. I always argued the half life of the poll bounce for a new leader is about two months. If so, Rudd has waited a couple of weeks too long.

The devil is in the detail as to whose call it was and why. The only thing I thought might have pushed him to go early was fear of Abbott666 raping his mind in Parliament, because we all know he LUUURVES to hop in the Big Old Jet Airliner & go places, but that was before he made the FBT and Bank Levy pronouncements. The backlash from those must have twigged him (or the smarter people in what passes for their Election Strategy HQ) to the fact that things were about to go downhill poll-wise. I don’t think we’ll ever know, as he believes his own lies to the point where even an honest autobiography would never tell the true story.

This is the sort of thing I said I wanted before the election announcement was confirmed: Rudd to call, and a set of already-gathered polls in the 52:48 zone to come out against him.

once he gets down to about 46-47% the ALP and media knives will come out for Rudd.

As much to look good in the context of the Abbott steamroller as to knife their failed Great Wax-eating Hope.

He could still lose as bad as Gillard was going to lose.

That’s not beyond the realms of possibility. It could be glorious to watch, especially since I can’t see any other way out but to have him lead them all the way to the end. Last time, he was sacked before he could be defeated, indeed before the election was ever called. Abbott has far more experience of being part of a campaign machine, and also of defending incumbency (albeit only as a Minister under Howard). Rudd never had to defend himself as an incumbent until now, which might be why he’s trying to campaign as if from Opposition. It could all come horribly unglued, and potentially so could he.

I hope Murdoch is fair dinkum this time – in 2007 the dope went all damp squib at the death and backed Comrade Dear Leader.

If Labor win this election they’ll break up News Ltd and re-introduce their totalitarian media laws to muzzle the press. If they win they’ll take it as a given that Australian’s don’t give a shit about that sort of stuff and so will be unstoppable.

I always argued the half life of the poll bounce for a new leader is about two months. If so, Rudd has waited a couple of weeks too long.

He should have done what Gillard did and gone to the polls at once. He might still have been riding high on those 50-50 opinion polls and been able to get a few more by dumping the carbon tax, bringing back TPVs & a few other goodies, but he had to have his hands on the levers of power just one more time. For Rudd, it was about getting back what he’d lost; for Gillard, that wasn’t an issue and whatever ego she might have didn’t get in the way of making the right strategic “call” when she replaced him.

Gillard had the advantage that everyone KNEW Rudd was a megalomaniacal central controller, and it was feasible to blame him for everything that had been rushed, fucked up or otherwise rammed through with little thought, & ask the country for another go and a fresh start, swallowing ALP pride and admitting a component of failure (“good government that lost its way”). That no longer applies, except in the minds of the mendicants or the truly braindead; the record of the whole mob of them is now well-known, and it’s too bad to completely obscure.

You are nothing if not consistent Watson – what a useless, useless fool he is.

That’s 18, 19, 20, 30, 46 and 13 for the Series, mostly opening. His last ton was 3 years ago and there is one a year before that and his only other one is a year before that, for a miserable average of 35.

He has taken a single wicket on this tour, 6 in 2012, 14 in 2011 and 17 in 2010, for an average of 31. Big whopping deal!

Every election matters. Think about how much the decision to install Labor over a competent Coalition government has fucked over Australia these past six years.
I get the fact that a lot of people disliked Howard, but to have tossed him out for a flake like Rudd? The only explanation is complacency – in 2007 no one really did any serious due diligence on Rudd, probably because they were wary about what they might find under the veneer of Rudd’s public persona a la Latham circa 2004.

the question is why the Australian public decided for a second go at Labor.

They didn’t. New England and Lyne wanted Abbott, instead two treacherous, cowardly dogs betrayed their communities and installed and then kept in power for years past any reasonable amount of time an out of control Junta.

Which reminds me – the day after this election those two gutless betrayers need to be have their interests audited. Conveniently ending their careers after suspending democracy for three years in the interests of the Labor party is a bridge too far.

the day after this election those two gutless betrayers need to be have their interests audited

The Harry Potter universe has a device called the Probity Probe. A clever and somewhat scary play on words, especially when you find out that the thing is not merely a spell but a discrete physical object that can be (and on one occasion is) inserted into bodily orifices.

We could do with a few of those. And seventy-odd passport suspensions.

Murdoch must go feral this time, because if this election goes the wrong way, Labor will literally ban all opposition media. Imagine Rudd is Neil Kinnock in 1987 and give him everything you got. Run stories about how Rudd worships Stalin. Explain that all Labor supporters love Pol Pot. Anything to get these people out of power is justified.

The Queensland Nationals Senator has held 35 town hall-style meetings, and called in popular NSW Coalition figures to boost his credentials.

A fundraising lunch with Malcolm Turnbull sold out in Armidale on Friday, so was followed by a free lecture at the university. NSW Treasurer Mike Baird joined Joyce for breakfast with the Tamworth Business Chamber on Thursday, and former prime minister John Howard will appear at a dinner at the West Tamworth Leagues Club on August 14. Former deputy prime minister John Anderson is his campaign director.

good news on Ch 7′s Reachtell poll for the Coalition
Abbott in front of Rudd (substantially)
LNP up and LP down
Interesting, I was auto polled by reachtell at 2pm yesterday, election called after their polling, did my bit for the cause, preparing my bottle of Bundy for the 7th Sept.

the question is why the Australian public decided for a second go at Labor.

They didn’t. New England and Lyne wanted Abbott, instead two treacherous, cowardly dogs betrayed their communities and installed and then kept in power for years past any reasonable amount of time an out of control Junta.

Sadly that is wrong. If those electors wanted LNP they would have voted them in. Instead they went “Independent” and got their arses handed to them. Stupid people.

Sad as it is to say, Pete M is right. My Mum lives in New England. I kept telling her a vote for Windsor is a vote for Labor. She didn’t believe me until Windsornhad the chance to prove it. Then she thought Torbay when he was an independent was good. Some people never learn. Let’s hope Barnaby wins and wins big. If you want Labor out, you have to vote LNP.

Sadly that is wrong. If those electors wanted LNP they would have voted them in. Instead they went “Independent” and got their arses handed to them. Stupid people.

I think they got conned.
These two never previously had to fully expose their hatred of the Coalition publicly, and never would, knowing that would be electoral suicide.
They presented themselves to the electorate as conservative leaning independents.
Having been outed as Liar’s Pardy stooges, they have avoided facing an electorate which now knows their true colours.

“We do have a preference deal in Melbourne where we will preference Labor in exchange for Labor preferencing the Liberals in Mallee, where we will be looking to take a seat off the Nationals.”

I hope you’re not serious – If the Libs want a chance in the Mallee, maybe they should have put someone forward whose CV doesn’t read like a labor staffer or looks like he should be standing for the Greens. The Mallee is filled with small businesses, many focused on primary production, and the Lib candidate doesn’t have a clue about small business. Going to school in a rural area, and moving to Mildura only a couple of months ago, doesn’t qualify him to represent this area.

Other than 1983 (as an 18 year old) I have always voted Lib, but not this time.